This is a guest post by Mark from Kayakguru.com
Ocean fishing in Portugal is integral to its culture. Portuguese cuisine relies on the variety of fresh and high-quality fish locally available. Whether you fish from the shore, on a deep-sea charter, or from your own kajak, you can enjoy fishing in Portugal just as the locals do.
In Portugal, it’s possible to land a wide variety of fish and to experience the wild coastline up close. This article will tell you about the most popular varieties of sport fish and recommend some popular fishing spots.
Fish To Catch Around Portugal
Here are some of the species you can find off the Portuguese coast:
Dourade / Sea Bream
Sea bream is one of the most common fish for everyday eating, and for good reason. This is a delicious, light-flavored white fish and can be caught from the shore. Portuguese families fish for these while enjoying a day at the beach.
Sea Bass
This fish is neck and neck with the sea bream in popularity. It is a small fish with firm flesh, so it holds up to many different methods of cooking. Sea bass can be caught from the shore using a spinning rod (video) or by fly fishing.
Tuna
Tuna is a large deep-sea fish and is prized for its firm and meaty flesh. Tuna is an exciting fish to catch from any deep-sea charter boat. (Video)
Marlin
Marlin is one of the best fish you can catch on a charter with deep-sea fishing in Portugal. Marlin have a lot of fight and are usually caught and released. If they are eaten, they have firm pink or white meat and a strong texture resembling steak.
Some other commonly caught species include mullet, grouper, sharks, and rays.
The Best Spots for Fishing in Portugal
Anglers are always reluctant to tell just anyone about their favorite fishing spots, but here are some of the best places to enjoy fishing in Portugal.
Albufeira
Albufeira is one of the busiest resort towns in the Algarve. The combination of beautiful scenery, great food, and exciting local events makes Albufeira a great place to stay.
In September, Albufeira hosts the world championship of big game fishing. The charters from this area are regarded as some of the best in Portugal.
Vilamoura
Vilamoura is an exciting city with many shops and restaurants, as well as a variety of places to stay, from small bed and breakfasts to luxury resorts.
The Vilamoura marina offers many deep-sea charters as well as excellent reef fishing. Some of the big game fish include blue sharks, hammerhead sharks, marlin, and tuna. Reef fishing tours bring back sea bream, grouper, horse mackerel, sole, and moray eels.
Lagos
The 14th century town of Lagos makes an excellent home base for fishing expeditions up and down the coast. The town is close to Cabo de São Vicente, the southwestern most point in Portugal.
Lagos is known for its cliff fishing and beach fishing. While cliff fishing can be very dangerous, the cliffs in the best fishing areas are often dotted with locals and visitors hoping to land a fish. Some locals even descend the cliff on ropes to get to a better fishing spot. There are also deep-sea excursions from Lagos or shark fishing tours.
Lagos is also a good base for kayaking expeditions, whether you are hoping to fish or just to explore the caves dotted along the rocky coast.
Enjoy Your Trip
We hope this article has given you some ideas to plan a trip to go fishing in Portugal. Whether you are looking for a charter boat experience or to have a more personal experience like beach fishing or kayak fishing, you will always find a good catch in Portugal.
